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Bison Finally Catch a Break in Montana

Purchase of easement creates much-needed corridor for hungry bison

(04/17/2008) - BOZEMAN,
Mont. – Today the National Park Service and
Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks finally took a step in the right direction on
bison management in the Yellowstone
National Park region. Governor Brian
Schweitzer and Yellowstone Park Superintendent Suzanne Lewis announced that they
have come to an agreement with the Church Universal & Triumphant to purchase
an easement across their Royal Teton Ranch.

This easement provides a small number of
Yellowstone’s bison with access to crucial winter range
north of the park in the Gallatin
National Forest.
Yellowstone National
Park will contribute $1.5 million toward the
purchase, Montana’s Department of
Fish, Wildlife & Parks will contribute $300,000, and a number of
conservation organizations are committing to raise the remaining $1
million.

“We greatly appreciate that Governor
Schweitzer, the state of Montana, and the Park Service have finally stepped up
to the plate on this issue and are focusing their resources on maintaining a
wild, free-ranging population of bison, as promised in the Interagency Bison
Management Plan (IBMP),” said Mike Leahy, Rocky Mountain regional director for
Defenders of Wildlife. “This long overdue action comes too late for the more
than 1,600 bison that have been killed this year, but it does signify an
important stride in the right direction.”

The agreement marks the coming-together of
many different interest groups including private landowners, state and federal
agencies, conservation organizations and various groups. Many individuals and
groups have been calling for urgent action on behalf of the bison, with
Defenders of Wildlife members alone sending more than 49,000 letters to the
Montana Promotion Division in the past couple of weeks.

“This agreement – although not an ultimate
solution – means that at least some
bison will finally be able to leave the park when they need food to survive the
winter,” Leahy said. “The real significance of this agreement is that it can
build tolerance for more bison to return to their historic habitats outside
Yellowstone
Park.”

Background:

The Interagency Bison Management Plan for
Yellowstone region bison was initiated in 2000. The Interagency Bison Plan seeks to: (1)
reduce the risk of brucellosis transmission from bison to cattle by keeping the
animals away from each other and protect the economic interests of Montana's
livestock industry; and (2) maintain a wild, free-ranging bison
population.

Under this management approach, about
3,700 wild Yellowstone buffalo have been killed and many
more have been hazed by state and federal agencies to stop them from crossing
onto mostly public land outside the park.
Buffalo naturally migrate to these
areas in the winter – as do other wildlife – due to the better forage on
National Forest lands. They are systematically denied these natural impulses and
regularly killed if they cross onto public forest
lands.

Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org.

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Contact(s):

Mike Leahy, (406) 586-3970Erin McCallum, (202) 772-3217

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